Omanut: Curriculum Sample

Omanut (art) is a new approach to Jewish learning for Grades 4-5 at Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley that will be piloted in the 2014-2015 school year. The program will provide students with innovative, thoughtful, challenging and creative learning experiences as they explore the intersection of their own creativity, Jewish learning, and the arts. Students will build community, friendship, pride, and both arts and analytic skills through collaborative, hands-on projects; while families will be welcomed to participate in special events to further develop their community connection at TBE and with their child’s Jewish learning.

Our Curriculum:

The ﻿Omanut ﻿curriculum has been carefully crafted to provide students with innovative, thoughtful, challenging and creative learning experiences. Students will engage in Jewish learning centered around three overaching lenses each year: The Space Around Us/ סביבנו, The Space Between Us/ בינינו, and The Space Within Us/ בתוכנו. These lenses will frame the exploration of a range of Jewish topics including Tefillah, Bible, Mitzvot, and Holidays; and allow students to explore how they interact and understand Jewish traditions and values in the world around them, between their friends and in their relationships, and within themselves. Each unit will include guiding text, a few smaller projects, and one larger project culminating in a family program and/or exhibit.

Sample Session:

Unit A: The Space Around Us/ סביבנו

Essential Questions:oHow does space affect light vs. how light affects space? How does light help create a “sacred” space?oWhat role does light play in our everyday lives and in our Jewish experience? What is it about light that has made it appear again and again in Jewish life and in the Torah?o How can you be a “light” to those around you? How can people be “light” in the world?

Place sketchbooks on table before students arrive. Ask them to think about the space at home that they noticed over the past few weeks. If they have brought in a photo, drawing or writing ask them to paste it in their sketchbook, otherwise they can briefly write a description of the space now. Split into pairs and share your work with a peer. Then each should ask: what question would you ask me when you look at this artwork/read this writing?

Warm-Up (20 minutes)

Find a dark space in the Temple. Distribute mini-flashlights. Tell students that their challenge is to turn on all of their flashlights, one at a time, so that no two flashlights go on at the same time. If two flashlights go on at the same time, then they will all have to turn off their flashlights and start again at flashlight number one. This challenge will take place in silence, but you might take some opportunities for brainstorming part way through.

Text Study/Slideshow/Project (80 minutes)

Review: Last week, we explored the text of Yotzer Or. It is pasted in your sketchbook. What are some of the themes of Yotzer Or?

Introduce day one of Creation: Give each student a copy of the Creation text sheet. Reflect on flashlight activity, and how we each took turns creating a first spark of light, and to keep that mind as we read through the first day of creation. Have volunteers read the text from the first day.

Discuss day one:

Are there any words you don’t understand? What do you think the “light” is that was created on the first day?

What do you imagine it looked like?

Why was light the first thing created?

Slideshow: Show students a slideshow of images where artists have tried to depict the first days of creation.

Scratch Art Base: Have students color with crayons on a piece of smooth mat board, covering the entire surface fully with color. The color should reflect what they imagined the universe looked like on the first day of creation. Once the whole base of the mat board is covered in thick crayon, cover the image with a thin layer of tempera paint diluted with dish soap. Set aside to dry. (http://www.firstpalette.com/Craft_themes/Colors/scratchart/scratchart.html)

Introduce day four of Creation: Read through days two and three, and then focus on and discuss day four:

Are there any words you don’t understand? How would you summarize what happened on day four of creation?

What do you imagine it looked like?

What is different about the light created on the first day vs. the fourth day?

How did they have light on day one before the creation of the sun? How can it be that light was created on the first day but the sun and moon weren't created until the 4th day? What kind of "light" was created?

What is special about each of these lights (sun, moon, stars)? How are these different sources of light each important in our everyday lives? How are they important in our Jewish traditions/celebrations? (ex: Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar, the end of Shabbat is signaled by seeing three stars, Shabbat starts after sunset, our holidays start the night before, end at sunset the next day-- in reference to text “then it was evening and then it was morning” etc.)

What are the different feelings we get from the sun? The moon? The stars?

Scratch Art: return to scratch art, giving each student a sharp object with which to scratch through the black tempera paint, exposing the colors beneath. (Different tools can be explored on a sample paper to experiment with a variety of lines, etc.) Encourage students to create images that are inspired by the creation story-- bringing out the sun, moon, stars, etc.

Describe: When complete, each student should write one sentence to describe their work.

Reflection (30 minutes)

Set tone: Remind group: every time we end, we share and reflect. Talk about what it means to give positive feedback.

Reflection Brit: Revisit Reflection Brit, which should be posted somewhere in the room.

Reflection process:

Each student will take a turn holding up their piece. One student will be assigned to reflect on one other student’s work so that each will take one turn. Each student doing the reflecting will use three statements as a framework: I see, I think, I wonder.

Each artist will respond to the question and then share their one sentence description.

Take it Home (5 minutes)

Today, we will post our scratch art on a special bulletin board in the hallway so that we can share what we created with our community. The next time you come into the building, look for your work!